Five things the Boks would have learnt from their last 10 meetings with Australia

The Springboks and the Wallabies have established a healthy rivalry over the last five years or so.

Match-ups between South Africa and Australia have developed into closely contested arm wrestles with both teams winning the same number of games in their last 10 outings.

With not much separating the two teams in terms of results‚ here are five things the Boks would have learnt from their last 10 meetings with the Wallabies.

1) Not much separates the Springboks and the Wallabies in their last 10 clashes

The Boks have won four‚ the Wallabies the same number‚ while last year yielded two drawn matches.

With only five points separating the teams in their last three meetings‚ the Boks can be in no doubt that the Wallabies have found ways of neutralising certain elements of their game.

There is the lingering feeling‚ especially in South Africa‚ that the Boks should have won all three of those contests.

But what those results prove is that Michael Cheika’s side is street smart against the Boks.

They have learnt to roll with the punches and maximise opportunity when it presents itself. It may also be that the Boks have been too predictable against Australia.

2) In those four Wallaby wins in the last 10 Tests against the Boks‚ flyhalf Bernard Foley started in just one

That solitary win was a closely contested affair in Perth in 2014 when the Wallabies prevailed 24-23.

Coach Cheika dropped Foley for their clash in Brisbane earlier this month and installed Kurtley Beale at flyhalf.

The Wallabies won that Test but they soon went backwards a week later when Argentina beat them.

It has created a headache for Cheika who needs to find consistency in key positions in the lead up to next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Should Cheika reinstall Foley it may be seen as a knee-jerk reaction‚ but failure to act may turn out to be a bigger sin.

3) A blockbusting performance by Marika Koroibete in Bloemfontein a year ago cemented his place in the Wallaby starting team

Two tries and some robust defence further underlined the sturdily built wing’s arrival on the international scene.

He is likely to square up against the impressive Aphiwe Dyantyi and his threat in attack cannot be overstated.

To be fair‚ Dyantyi will carry equal potency when he has the ball tucked under the arm near the touchline.

4) With a ruck success rate of 97 percent in the Rugby Championship the Wallabies have been proficient at retaining possession

The Boks need to strip that continuity from their game but David Pocock is a considerable impediment.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has much to mull over and getting a backrower to commit to the ball like Pocock on the deck will have to be a consideration.

Francois Louw has‚ however‚ returned to Bath which means the Siya Kolisi‚ Pieter-Steph du Toit and Warren Whiteley backrow combination that fell short as combo in Brisbane but came up trumps a week later in Wellington looks likely to crack the nod again.

They will‚ however‚ need to mirror the intensity they displayed against the All Blacks if they are going to keep Pocock on check.

5) Judging from their last 10 Tests the Springboks would by now have drawn the conclusion that the Wallabies take a while to get going

In those Tests the Boks held the half time advantage on seven occasions.

Clearly they need to repeat their first half efforts in the second if they are going to be more successful against the Wallabies.

It is also worth noting that the Wallabies won none of the Tests against the Boks in which they held a half time lead in that period.